CyberKongz Helps Oldest National Park in Africa Stay Afloat With Crypto Mining Operation

Virunga National Park in Africa is currently closed to tourism during ongoing conflict in the region, but CyberKongz is helping the safeguard for biodiversity keep its lights on with a sustainable cryptocurrency mining operation.

The operation uses excessive power from the National Park's hydroelectric plant, which is also used to produce low-carbon electricity in the Lubero region. The crypto mining plant is meant to provide additional revenue to Virunga while tourism is halted and is funded by CyberKongz.

"Luviro is a run-of-river hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of 15 MW, located in the Lubero region," the video CyberKongz posted on Twitter reads. "It is named after the Luviro river that supplies the water needed to produce electricity."

The video explains the process.

"It starts with the water intake structure," it mentions. "Water from the Lubviro is diverted into a channel, where it is slowed over many kilometers. The water then enters a forebay to remove impurities, before speeding downstream for nearly 200 meters. The energy accumulated by the falling water turns the tribune, which then drives the alternator, producing stable, low-carbon electricity 24 [hours a day]."

At the end of the process, the water is returned to the river. 

Jonas Kambale, one of the electricians at the crypto mining operation, explains how the excess electricity powers the plant.

"At Ivungu, I am responsible for the maintenance of the blockchain servers," he said. "We currently have 2,882 machines on site. With the arrival of 1,800 servers, we will triple our current operations, and it will allow Virunga to generate substantial income."

Virunga National Park is home to one-third of the world's population of endangered mountain gorillas.